Sylvania’s Superheroes Honoring Those Who Serve

Chief Rick Schnoor City of Sylvania Division of Police Chief Rick Schnoor is excited to begin his new role in the department. At a young age the new chief knew he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. “Actually, my wife and I share the same distinction of knowing what we wanted to do since middle school,” noted Chief Schnoor. “She wanted to be a dentist and I wanted to be in law enforcement. My wife attended Bowling Green State University and currently has a dental practice and I attended The University of Toledo and am looking forward to my role as chief.” Chief Schnoor holds a master’s degree from UT, where he served as an instructor for six years. He is a graduate of the Police Executive Leadership College and the Certified Law Enforcement Executive Program. He spent the last 24 years in law enforcement. Prior to his promotion to chief, he was promoted to sergeant in 2000 and to captain in 2010. He has served as a Detective Sergeant, Community Affairs Sergeant and Road Patrol Sergeant. Early in his career he served as a D.A.R.E. officer in the Sylvania Schools. The chief feels fortunate to have quality people serving in the department. “We have a lot of talented people in the city of Sylvania Division of Police,” he stated. “We were voted the second safest city in Ohio. Our structure and talent are very solid. My focus is community involvement and customer service. I want to continue the high standards we have always maintained here in Sylvania, the good relationships with community members and reduce crime. Providing an environment for the officers where they feel supported and can effectively do their jobs is very important to me as well as setting the bar high for our goals and objectives.” The main objectives the chief would like to focus on are reducing traffic accidents and increasing safety. “We are also focusing on reducing theft offenses and effectively communicating with partners in the community on how they can assist us with our objectives,” explained Chief Schnoor. “Another focus that I believe is of the utmost importance is how we intervene in domestic violence. I want to make certain we are doing everything we can to positively impact that issue. We want to make our city as safe as possible for everyone who lives here.” The chief is not planning to add any new programs in the department at this time. “We always try to be progressive with our programming. There is nothing new I am looking to implement right away,” the chief said. “I want to reach the benchmark that when someone has an interaction with an officer that they have been provided the best service possible. We have a great deal of community support and I want to focus on maintaining that relationship. We cannot do it by ourselves.” With fewer young adults pursuing careers in law enforcement, the chief would like to look into ways to enhance recruiting and hiring practices. “When I applied in 1994 over 100 people took the test,” he said. “This last year we had 15 people or less. There has been a dramatic reduction of young people looking into the field. We want it to be a very inclusive department and one that would entice young people to want to be part of.” The chief feels the rewards of the job far outweigh any new challenges that may accompany his new position. “Crime has been very low. In the months ahead the big challenges, especially in the summertime, concerns events. The message is we always want to think about safety when it comes to crowds. Remember to please be patient if we must stop traffic. We want to make certain we can get people in and out of events safely. Thankfully, the events are all family-friendly. We are not dealing with events where people get out of control. Sylvania has always had such a positive environment. It is my responsibility to maintain that positive environment for the people who work for the city and live in the community.” Off duty Chief Schnoor enjoys spending time with his wife and their two sons, ages 12 and 15. He especially enjoys coaching travel basketball and football, which allows him an opportunity to spend time with his children. He said, “I have spent the last seven years teaching a variety of sports with my kids. I have many things I need to focus on as chief, but spending time with my family has and will continue to be a great focus.”